Florence, union protests over revocation of concession to Opera over Bargello and Accademia

The Ministry of Culture has revoked Opera ’s concession for ticketing, reception and access control services at the Bargello Museums and the Accademia Gallery in Florence. The measure was decided by director general museums Massimo Osanna, who is also director of the Accademia and Bargello. It is a decision that had been in the air for some time: at least it was after the Directorate General for Museums sent a circular to the autonomous museums in May last year announcing that the ticket offices would no longer be entrusted to external concessionaires, but would be internalized and managed by the single platform “Ad Arte.” The news had caused concern, so much so that management specified that Ad Arte would not be the sole sales channel.

Announcing the end of the concession are the Filcams CGIL Firenze, Uiltucs Toscana and Rsu unions, which are protesting and demanding certainty for workers. “Beyond the method with little participation and transparency, which totally excludes the trade unions by making a decision of very strong impact on the lives of the workers of the Florentine state museums (between Bargello and Accademia there are about fifty) fall from above,” they say in a note, “we are to ask, once again, what will happen to the workers involved. What will happen to the workers employed in the ticket offices? Where will the workers employed in the reception and access control services go? And under what conditions? We remain bashful in front of so much levity to approximation on the part of Director Osanna and in general for the total lack of respect shown to workers who for years have been sending forward the service with seriousness and professionalism.”

The unions go on to say that “no reorganization can be done on the skin of the workers and that before any project of reform of state museums and their governance, we must start from firm points: we demand that not even 1 hour of work be lost; we demand the maintenance of economic, regulatory and contractual conditions for all the workers involved; we demand a round table, national and local, to confront the issues mentioned above.”

“We are ready,” the unions conclude, “for a summer of mobilization and struggle, to defend wages and rights and to reiterate once again that no reform of the state museum system can be made on the skin of workers.”

Image: the Academy Gallery

Florence, union protests over revocation of concession to Opera over Bargello and Accademia

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